Fever and friendship
by fairy666tale
Summary: Lucille gets a fever, and somehow manages to improve his frienship with the rest of the gang. Rated T. Some killing and bad language involved. Lucille x Eles, Lucille x Kohaku, Lucille x Gwindel


Lucille gets a fever, and somehow manages to improve his frienship with the rest of the gang.

Rated M, just to be save. Some killing and bad language involved.

Lucille x OC

My first fanfic ever, so please R&R :D

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the manga or characters or anything.

* * *

"Lucille? You all right?" A bit worried, Eles looked up to the face of the man sitting next to her in the backseat of the car. She was used to him acting… strange sometimes, but this time he wasn't just spacing out. His beautiful face was paler than normally, and his usually sparkling eyes seemed less shiny.

He took a deep sight before he answered. "Just a bit tired."

"Really?"

He looked at her with one of those sweet smiles of his. Eles never knew for sure whether it was a real smile, or just a mask to hide his pain. "I'm fine. Really." The dark bags underneath his eyes made her know for sure that he was lying this time.

"Well, you look like crap," Kohaku commented from the front seat. Gwindel, driving the car, didn't make any comments, as usual, but he took a short gaze at Lucille. Wich almost made them hit a tree.

"Gwin, keep your eyes on the road," Lucille said quietly. "There's nothing to worry about."

They all got back to their own thoughts, but only Eles couldn't help looking at him every few minutes. He didn't even seem to notice, what worried her even more. Suddenly he started coughing, and his body tensed from pain.

"Lucille!" Almost in a reflex, Eles embraced his slender body. She could feel how he was gasping for breath, but finally limped in her arms. "Lucille! What's wrong?"

"Dizzy… can't… breath." His voice was almost inaudible. His eyes fluttered closed, and she could feel his breathing slowing down as he fainted, though he was still gasping.

Now she finally felt how much heat seemed to radiate from his body. "He's got a fever!"

"Crap!" Kohaku shouted. "Gwin, find some hotel. He can't travel on like this."

"There's only forest for the coming 150 kilometers," Gwindel answered, his voice untouched by emotion. Eles wondered if the two on the front seat even cared about Lucille personally. She just had to believe they did, or their music could never be as good as it was, right?

"Still, we should stop somewhere," Kohaku insisted. "If we reach the next city before he's able to sing, we'll be an easy kill for the guignols."

"Can't we stop somewhere near that small river over there?" Eles suggested. "We'll need some water to cool his fever down, but we'd better not use any of our drinking water." She had the feeling, holding Lucille's trembling, fragile feeling body, that it might take a while for him to get better.

They found a save camping spot a few feet away from the river, sheltered by giant green trees. Lucille laid on a thin blanked, still unconscious. His porcelain tinted skin seemed to have lost all color, and just now Eles realized how thin he actually was. Come to think of it, he hadn't been eating anything since last morning. How long had he been feeling ill without letting anyone noticing it?

"Here," Kohaku handed her a wet towel, with a silent gaze at Lucille. "He's still out cold?"

Eles nodded, and put the wet towel gently on Lucille's head. Lucille didn't respond even a bit. His body was still trembling, though. So worried it almost hurt physically, Eles laid beside him, holding him tight.

In the midst of the night, Eles woke up from something stirring against her. "Mmf… Lucille?" she whispered half asleep. Suddenly it hit her where they were and how Lucille condition was, and she quickly sat up. "Lucille?"

His eyes were still closed, but his pale face showed that he had some kind of nightmare. Softly she shook his shoulder to wake him up. Finally, after almost a minute, his eyes fluttered open. His look was somewhat vague, but he did look here in the eyes after a few moments.

"Lucille? How are you feeling?" Carefully not to startle him, she caressed his soft hair.

"M… fine," he whispered faintly. "Where… are… we?"

"In the woods. Gwin and Kohaku are sleeping. We thought it wouldn't be a good idea for you to travel on while you're sick. And you seemed so frail…"

His glance got hazy again and suddenly, without any warning, he started crying. As the tears silently fell from his eyes, he turned over on his side, with his back in her direction.

"What… Did I say something stupid?" Eles asked startled. "I'm sorry!"

"Not… your fault. Nightmare." A sob made her heart feel like it got struck by a blade. He sounded so scared, so lonely. But she knew he wouldn't give her any truth if she asked questions. So instead, she curled up against his back, with one arm over his small waist. She could feel him stiffen for a moment, but soon he relaxed, set aside a few sobs.

"You're not alone, you know," she whispered in his ear. "You'll be fine, 'cause I'll take care of you. Promised."

He turned over to his other side and looked at here with those tear filled, crystal blue eyes. His face was so close to hers, she could feel his warm, soft breath against her skin. "Shall I… tell you… what I… dreamed… about?" he mumbled.

"Only if you want to tell me." She desperately tried not to blush, at him being so close to her.

"I want to," he sighted, with his beautiful eyes half closed. "I think… Cook already told… about… what I did?"

"Yes, he did," she replied quietly. She still could barely believe that it was true.

"To save… my own life… I killed them all." The look in his eyes was so full of pain and trauma, she could barely look at him. But she knew he would probably take it the wrong way if she looked away now. How frail and sick he looked, she didn't want him to think she hated him.

Slowly he closed his eyes, mentally in agony. "I still… hear them… scream… at night when I sleep. They trusted me… and followed my orders." She felt him tensing, and held on to him even tighter. "I killed them… for it." Another sob came out, and he started crying pitiful again.

"Lucille…" Eles could think of no way to make it sound less horrible what he'd done. Nor could she think of any way to cheer him up. All she could do was to try and comfort him by caressing his head, and allowing him to shed his tears while being held by someone who loved him.

* * *

"Crap!" Kohaku shouted, when a guignol attacked him on his way back to the camping spot. As fast as he could, he reached for his gun… and then remembered he had left it in the car. Damn. Before he could do anything about it, his body got slammed against a tree.

For a moment he felt like the world had exploded. But… since when did an explosion sound so beautiful? And why hadn't the guignol shred him to pieces yet? With some effort, he opened his eyes and saw the creature standing in front of him, standing motionless.

Finally he realized why his body felt so heavy. What the beautiful sound was. Lucille's singing voice. Just as Kohaku managed to jump away, the guignol broke apart in a fountain of blood. Shocked, he watched Lucille falling to the ground limply. Almost panicked he kneeled next to him and turned him on his back.

"Jeez, you really… can't stay… out of trouble," Lucille mumbled, with a faint smile.

"Why are you even up? You're supposed to be resting!" Kohaku shouted.

"I had to go to the toilet."

"You moron!" Trying not to show how concerned he was, Kohaku glared at him. "I could have killed that thing myself."

A cold wind blew through the forest, and Lucille's already weakened body started shivering. "Well, sorry for… trying to… help," he mumbled, with some hurt sounding in his voice. Even without touching him, Kohaku could feel the heat radiating from Lucille's body. Seemed like the fever hadn't lowered even a bit.

"Stupid," Kohaku growled, with some guilt. He hadn't really meant to offend Lucille. Especially not since he had heard Lucille crying in Eles' arms, the past night. "Can you walk?"

"Probably…" Lucille tried unsuccessfully to get up. "… not." With some fear in his eyes he looked up to Kohaku. "Don't leave me here."

"What kind of monster do you think I am?" Kohaku snarled. Without too much effort, he threw Lucille's slender body over his shoulder and started walking back. Somewhere halfway, he felt Lucille's body limping. Had he passed out or just fallen asleep? He hoped for the second option.

"We ran into a guignol," was the first thing he said, before his friends could even ask anything. "Lucille killed it."

"Is he okay?" Eles asked, with her big eyes full of worry.

"I don't know." Carefully, almost tender, he laid Lucille frail body down on the blanket. His companion didn't stir a bit, and his beautiful eyes were closed. Even his attractive face seemed paler than ever. And had his breathing always been so slight?

"Isn't his fever going down?" Gwindel asked quietly.

With her hand obviously shaking, Eles felt Lucille's head. "It… seems to have gotten even worse," she moaned. "Can't we find a doctor?"

"No money," Kohaku mumbled. "Crap…" Okay, he'd never considered Lucille as a friend, but… Well, he didn't like to see him fading away like this either. Some part of him was actually afraid of losing this weird, cold hearted, but charming man.

"Lucille…" Eles started sobbing. "Don't die! Don't leave me alone like my brother!"

As if Lucille had heard her cry, his eyes opened slowly. With a glance that told Kohaku he was barely awake, he looked at Eles. "Don't… cry." His voice was almost inaudible.

Eles appeared to be too worried to answer, she just kept sobbing helplessly. So Kohaku decided to jump in. "She'll stop crying, if you keep breathing," he said, not far as coldly as he was trying to sound.

A terribly faint smile touched Lucille's soft lips. "I'll… try," he whispered, before fainting again.

* * *

"You okay?" Gwindel asked quietly, when Lucille finally woke up in the middle of the night.

"Why… are you… still awake?" His voice sounded dead tired, and he didn't move at all.

"To watch you. It would be bad if Eles woke up in the morning, discovering a corpse lying next to her."

Lucille seemed to notice just now that the girl crawled up against his body again, sleeping. The look in his eyes was almost gentle, when he put his arm around her. Though it seemed to be a big effort for him to even lift up his arm.

Looking at the man's ghostly pale face, Gwindel realized that he was actually worried about him. Lucille had gotten hurt before and, like everyone, had come down with a cold a few times. But he always seemed to be alright. Or maybe, probably, he was just always masking how he really felt. Though Gwindel had noticed he seemed more truthful to Eles.

This was the first time since he had known Lucille, he was actually afraid for the man's life.

"You didn't answer the question."

"Eh?" Lucille looked at him slightly confused.

"You okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine. Just…" His voice trailed off, and his glance turned to the sky above them. "My head… hurts a bit. And my throat. And… I'm a bit… thirsty."

Gwindel sighted. "Stay awake for a minute, I'll get you some water from the car."

Lucille glanced at him with another faint smile. "Thanks."

When Gwindel came back, Lucille lay motionless on his back, eyes closed. "Lucille?" Weakly stirring, the man opened his eyes, and carefully Gwindel helped him to sit up.

"Sorry. I fell asleep," Lucille whispered, with his head relaxing against Gwindel's shoulder.

"Never mind. Here you go." Knowing that Lucille was probably too weak to hold the bottle of water himself, he helped him drinking. The fact that Lucille didn't even object against it, made him worry.

After a while, Lucille turned his head away and coughed a bit. "I'm done. Thanks," he mumbled.

"Feeling any better already?"

"Don't tell me… you actually care." Lucille relaxed against his shoulder again, with a sleepy look in his beautiful blue eyes.

Gwindel had the feeling that if he would say he didn't care at all, Lucille would break like the porcelain doll he looked like. Besides, that would be a lie. "You look really sick. It's natural to worry, even if you're only a colleague."

"Hm." With a soft sight, Lucille closed his eyes. "You're… warm."

Silently, Gwindel put his arm around Lucille small shoulders, and felt how frail the man's body was. After a few minutes, he felt Lucille limping against him, breathing deeply and regular. He actually seemed to feel a little better, and despite himself, Gwindel had to admit he was happy about that.

Careful not to wake him, he laid Lucille back on the blanket. Eles managed to wrap her arms around the man again without even waking up herself. It looked kind of sweet, even though Gwindel knew why Lucille had brought this girl along on their journey.

* * *

Even while being terrorized by the horrible nightmares like so many nights, Lucille wasn't as scared as usual. Somehow, the intense feeling of loneliness stayed away during this sleep. Far, far away he could feel warm arms holding him, people by his side caring about him.

His body felt heavy, and sticky from perspiration. His head still hurt like hell, but his throat felt better. With some effort, he managed to open his eyes and looked right into Eles' sleeping face. She looked cute. A few inches away from him, on his other side, Kohaku was sleeping. Gwindel was sitting against a tree nearby, but Lucille could tell from the way his body leaned against the tree that he was also asleep.

The sun was already rising to the sky, which made him wondering how long he'd been sleeping. He vaguely remembered being awake past night, and falling asleep in Gwindel's arms. Had that been just a dream or..? Then he saw the almost empty bottle of water, standing in the grass a few inches away from the blanket. Guess even Gwindel wasn't entirely incapable of comforting someone, Lucille thought with a weak smile.

"Hmf… Lucille," Eles whispered in her sleep, and her grip on him tightened. Somewhat touched, Lucille turned over to his side and embraced her gently, without causing her to wake up. With a deep sight, she put her head against his.

Still smiling, he fell asleep again.

* * *

Eles couldn't help but staring at Lucille's beautiful, sleeping face as soon as she woke up and opened her eyes. His soft, snowy blonde hair laid spread over both of their bodies. His long, dark eyelashes made shadows on his cheeks. His mouth hung a bit open, just enough to show his white teeth. And his lips seemed so soft.

She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks, and it made her blush for some reason. Would he wake up if she..? She decided to take the chance, and kissed him briefly on his mouth. His lips really were as soft as they seemed, and he stirred weakly in her arms.

Quickly she withdrew, just before he opened his eyes. From up close, they really looked like shining crystals. "Good morning," he whispered smiling.

"Good morning," she replied automatically. "Are you feeling better?" She really hoped so.

"A little." He smiled again. "It really helps… that you're holding me. Thanks."

Not knowing how to reply, she just hugged him. "I'm glad you're feeling better." To her surprise, she could feel him enjoying her hug. Not like one of those fake hugs he'd sometimes give her to tease her. He actually made himself vulnerable voluntarily, for the first time since she had met him.

"Lucille?" she mumbled, with her face buried in his long hair.

"Hm?"

"Are you really okay?"

"I really am okay." She could hear a faint laugh in his voice. "My head still… hurts like hell, but besides that… I'm just tired." They were both quiet for some time. "Eles?"

"Yes?"

"Why… do you care?" This time, there was no trace of a smile in his voice. He rather sounded… scared. Scared of what her answer could be, she realized with a shock.

"Because… I love you," she whispered, somewhat embarrassed. "You're like a brother to me. Or… even more."

* * *

He tensed for a moment. Emotions came running through his mind, and a bit dizzy he closed his eyes. She didn't know the truth. She didn't know how he was using her. Even he didn't know anymore what he wanted from this young girl.

Was it even worth trying to save a loved one, if it meant to sacrifice another? Did he have the guts to try and exchange Eles for Cordie, his beloved sister. Even if it would mean that Cordie would be free, would he be able to overcome the loss of Eles as the sweet girl she was?

Eles hugged him again, desperately trying to comfort him. And he decided that, right now, it didn't matter what their relationship was. As long as they were together, he was happy.


End file.
